About us...

Heritage Insight is an archaeological consulting firm founded in 2000 by David Rhodes, and is one of the most well-established cultural heritage management companies in Victoria with all that brings in terms of industry experience. We are a team of qualified archaeologists with experience in conducting heritage assessments for a diverse range of clients.

Our approach to projects is team based, with staff working interactively to achieve constructive outcomes for heritage sites and places that comply with best practice in heritage management and regulatory requirements.

We have a proven record in the delivery of innovative and cost-effective heritage solutions that meet the highest expectations of our clients. Our team is experienced in consulting and working with a wide range of stakeholders to achieve this objective, including developers, Aboriginal communities, local and state government bodies, architects, planners, conservators and many other professionals whose work brings them into contact with heritage places and objects.

Our approach to heritage management is based on a position of respect for the values of the Aboriginal and wider Australian communities and the practical needs of our clients. We recognise that many different groups in the community may attach heritage significance to a place for many different reasons and we seek to incorporate these values into our work.

David Rhodes

MA (Prelim), MICOMOS, MAACAI
Director & Senior Consultant

David is an archaeologist with formal academic qualifications in both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
archaeology and over twenty five years experience as a consultant archaeologist.

He has previously worked on a
wide range of development, heritage management and research projects, including research projects for
Aboriginal communities. He also has considerable experience in the development of complex management
plans for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal heritage sites and places.

He is competent in many areas of
cultural materials analysis, particularly stone artifacts and ceramics. He has specialist expertise
in the application of some remote sensing techniques to archaeological sites. Other specialist fields
include Australian Indigenous archaeology, Australian historic archaeology, Indigenous and non-Indigenous
culture contact in the nineteenth century, planning for Indigenous archaeological sites and the development
of heritage management policy.

David is a full member of the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists
(AACAI) and the Australian International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

Bianca is an archaeologist qualified in both historic and pre-contact Australian archaeology and
the conservation of cultural material.

She has seventeen years of professional archaeological experience
in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and the UK, as well as professional conservation and museum
experience in Melbourne, Washington DC and New York City.

Bianca has undertaken a wide variety of projects and specialises in the management of large-scale cultural heritage
projects, with recent examples including a 110-turbine wind energy facility and a 4000-lot residential subdivision.

Such projects involve extensive consultation with Indigenous communities and other stakeholders including developers,
local and state government bodies, and the general public. They also involve the management of large field teams and
coordination with Heritage Insight’s background research and GIS teams, as well as production of detailed analytical reports.

Matthew Chamberlain

BA (Hons) Archaeology & History
Senior Project Archaeologist

Matt is an archaeologist qualified in both historic and Indigenous archaeology, and history. He has also undertaken formal study in landscape heritage and Australian architectural history. He has fifteen years professional archaeological experience in Victoria, as well as experience with academic archaeological projects in Cyprus and Jordan.

Matt’s experience has included roles in both the private sector, where he has been involved in numerous archaeological assessments and Cultural Heritage Management Plans varying from three-lot subdivisions to municipal heritage studies; and the public sector, including a role as senior archaeologist for Parks Victoria’s Flood Recovery Program, a role which saw Matt undertaking site assessments state-wide and developing and implementing site protection, rehabilitation and salvage projects in consultation with Traditional Owner groups from all parts of Victoria. Matt is a member of the Australian Archaeological Association, the Archaeological and Anthropological Society of Victoria and the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology.

Kathleen Hislop

BArch (Hons)
Senior Project Archaeologist

Kathleen is an archaeologist qualified in historic and Indigenous archaeology. Kathleen has seven years of professional experience in Victoria, with a particular focus on historical archaeological projects and cultural material. She is a member of both the Australian Archaeological Association (AAA) and the Australasian Society of Historical Archaeology (ASHA) and regularly attends annual conferences. Kathleen is currently completing a Master of Archaeological Science through the ANU with a focus on faunal analysis.

Katarina Audy

BA (Hons) Archaeology
GIS Officer and Project Archaeologist

Katarina is an archaeologist qualified in both historic and Indigenous Australian archaeology.
She has seven years of professional experience in connection with a range of development and research
projects in Victoria and Western Australia, with a particular focus on Indigenous archaeological projects
and cultural material. Katarina is a specialist in GIS mapping experience, working extensively with Esri
ArcGIS software. Within this role she is responsible for the management and integration of data, analysis,
modelling and drafting for the majority of Heritage Insight’s projects.

Renee McAlister

BA (Hons)
Project Archaeologist

Renee is an archaeologist qualified in historic and Indigenous Australian archaeology. Renee has six years’ experience working in south eastern Australia. Renee is a member of the Australasian Society of Historical Archaeology (ASHA) and the Australian Archaeological Association (AAA) and has a range of experience working on a variety of Indigenous and historical archaeological projects. Renee is also a GIS specialist.

Shannah Anderson

Technical Archaeologist

Shannah is a Technical Archaeologist with four years of professional experience in Indigenous and historical archaeology in Victoria, incorporating fieldwork responsibilities, desktop research and cultural material analysis. She has also participated in several seasons of fieldwork at various international archaeological sites in Israel and Vanuatu that included advanced fieldwork techniques. Shannah is also a member of both the Australian Archaeological Association (AAA) and the Archaeological and Anthropological Society of Victoria (AASV).